What are the key factors to consider while buying cement?
Quality and strength. Strength is the main criterion for classifying cement. This is defined for 1 day, 3 days, 7 days and finally 28 days. It is the strength after 28 days that is most important. For instance, a new building has to be cured. How do we decide the number of days it requires for curing? It is here that the strength of cement comes into play. If it is 53-grade cement, then the setting time is low and, therefore, the curing time brief. This also requires a lot of water. If PPC is used, then the setting is gradual, but it is more durable.

So the consumers need to understand whether they want cement that sets quickly or one with high resistance to cracks and shrinkage.

Is there a need to use 53-grade cement?
There is no need to use 53-grade cement for ordinary constructions. When it comes to constructing houses, complexes or roads, 53-grade cement is a sheer waste of resources. The compressive strength of PPC after 28 days can match that of 53-grade. This is the best kind of cement to use in hydraulic or marine structures, for mass construction and can also replace OPC completely because PPC is best under aggressive conditions.

But then why are the cement companies producing it?
The market dictates what needs to be produced and also its quantity. Cement companies are pushing for 53-grade cement purely to capture this market. Since there are several contenders and the end product is more or less the same, the only way to influence a buyer is to state that a particular kind of cement has high strength and also, that it sets very quickly. This is also why companies ignore production costs and raw material wastage while manufacturing this brand of cement.

From the production point of view, how is it more resource intensive?
The lime content in the clinker is crucial to ensure the required strength development in cement. For instance, to produce 53-grade OPC, high quality limestone is required, which is scarce in India. So, we have made some adjustments